The present invention relates to dental patient models for performing dental procedures.
To develop skills, learn new techniques or demonstrate new products in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, it is beneficial for the student or practitioner to have the opportunity to perform surgical procedures on a repeated basis. Unfortunately, there are not always enough patients to provide a steady supply of opportunities. Furthermore, many patients tend to have different and unique problems, which does not allow equal and consistent opportunities.
In addition, the treatment protocol for which the student and practitioner need training may call for a series of procedures. For instance, the protocol may include site preparation and restoration, grafting, impressions, and prosthetic implantation, each of which may require a recovery time or preparation time in between each procedure. Accordingly, a treatment protocol may span over a year or more, thereby making it difficult to experience and fully appreciate the entire procedure. Therefore, it would be beneficial to perform lengthy protocols in a simulated and accelerated manner.
As an alternative to patients, cadavers are used for practicing procedures. However, because each cadaver presents a unique dental problem and the condition of a cadaver may be unpredictable, it is difficult to provide an equal basis for practice using cadavers. This also makes it difficult to assess performance relative to others.
As an alternative to both patients and cadavers, models have been developed to simulate a human head with a jaw designed for dental procedures. For example, these models have included a cart with dental equipment, such as a flushing device, drills, a suction device, and a model head mounted thereon. The model head includes a jaw opening, a model jaw insert, and non-functional eyes. The model jaw insert is disposed within the model head and is accessible through the jaw opening. The jaw insert includes teeth on which dental procedures can be performed. The human models have a number of shortcomings associated with their rudimentary structure and, consequently, do not provide a vivid, realistic experience in performing many surgical procedures.
Accordingly, a need remains for a patient model that can provide a more realistic and consistent opportunity to perform both routine and complex oral surgical procedures.